Really awesome video, had to watch it again just because. Love the history of the area and the talk of climbing before the guidebook. The old footage is pure money too. Pretty scary shot with the flake blowing off the wall. I have even more respect for Mr. Wharton after seeing this.

I’ve yet to attempt redpoint free climbing a grade IV/V wall, usually its onsight or bust/hang/fall/dog to top. I have some stuff I will for sure come back for to get the clean ascent.

That said, Mr. Warton is doing this wall ground up, so where do the pre-hung draws and tick marks come from? Does that mean he hung the draws and fell and then tick marked the key holds?

Also, because the extended draw at the crux is level with his altitude, does it look like the rope gave him beneficial tension from time 6:20-6:23? At 6:03/4 he asks his belayer to watch him and I wonder if the belayer gave such a close belay as to marginally and accidentally provide a tension traverse across the crux. Hard to tell from the video and only the climber would really be able to tell.

Lots of raps in the Black, depending on the route you’re trying to get to the base of; the crux pitch is at the top of this route, so I’d be shocked if he hadn’t worked the top pitch to figure it out/relearn it, then descend and start his various pushes.